The Rise of Artek
by Gohan's Arcane Mistress
Summary: Gohan gets stranded on a mysterious planet, whare an evil omen has been sleeping undisturbed for many centuries... Please R/R!
1. A Birthday Present From Mirai Trunks

Note: This fic was originally supposed to be an NC-17 because of some sexual content that will be found during the course of the story, but thanks to Ff.net, I've had to set it at an R-rating. Apart from that, I hope you enjoy my first attempts at a lemon!

Chapter 1: A birthday present from Mirai (Future) Trunks 

It was another beautiful summers' day at the Capsule Corps, and Mirai Trunks was working on his time machine. Five years had been and gone since Trunks had been to the past, witnessed Gohan destroy Cell and then returned to the future and destroyed the androids and Cell from his timeline. It took a long while for the city to be restored, and it was soon back on the track of life. 

Bulma could hear murmurs of "Shit!" and "Fucking cunt of a machine!" coming from Trunks, and she went over to see exactly what it was he was doing.

"What are you up to, Trunks?" she asked.

"It's Gohan's 16th birthday tomorrow," he answered, in-between curses of annoyance.

"So that means you're going to the past again?" said Bulma.

"Uh huh," grinned Trunks, closing the door to the mechanics of the time machine and rolling out from underneath on his wheeled board. He then got up and dusted himself off.

"If you're wondering what I've been doing, I've improved the time machine so that not only can I travel back in time, I can take an extra passenger and I can immediately teleport it to different worlds! Cool, eh?"

"That's wonderful, honey! It's well seeing that you get your brains from my side of the family! (A/N: Sorry, Vegeta! Please don't kill me! 0_0;) But, what's this gotta do with Gohan?" she questioned.

"This is going to be his birthday present from me!" he beamed.

Bulma cocked her head to one side. "What? The time machine?"

Trunks fell anime style.

"No! The chance to go to other worlds!"

"Ohh..." was all she could manage to say. "But are you sure that it's safe? I mean, you haven't even tested it yet!"

"It'll be fine! Don't you worry, mother." soothed Trunks, easing Bulma's doubts.

Trunks decided to leave early that night, so he would be in time for Gohan's birthday the very next day.

"You be careful, alright?" she said, as Trunks got the time machine ready for blastoff. 

"Sure mom!" he promised, as the time machine took off into the air.

"Goodbye, Trunks! Have a good time!" she shouted.

"I will! Adios!" he yelled, just before the time machine disappeared in a brilliant flash of blue light. 

'Gee, I sure hope he comes back again...' thought Bulma.

***********************************************************************

As Trunks passed through the tides of time, he pondered on where he and Gohan could go.

__

Ah, bugger it! Why try to work out co-ordinations when we could just go to a random planet?

It was about 5:30 in the morning when Trunks finally made it back to the past. He landed outside the Capsule Corps, got out the time machine and knocked on the door. A very sleepy Bulma answered.

"What time do you call this? I need my beauty sleep!" she questioned the tall figure. She couldn't see him properly because she was still half-asleep.

"Sorry for waking you so early, mom." said Trunks.

Bulma rubbed her eyes and opened them wide.

"Trunks?" she queried. "Is that really you?"

"Yes, it's me," he said. "Is it all right if I come in?"

"Oh, Sure!" Bulma was ecstatic. Her son from the future had come to visit again! She went and poured out a mug of coffee for each of them, and they sat down at the kitchen table.

"So... what brings you back here, Trunks? Not more androids, I hope!"

"No, no androids this time! I just came to give Gohan his birthday present, that's all."

"Oh? And what's that?" she asked.

"It's really cool. I've been working on it since I got home after the Cell Games all those years ago. I had modified the time machine so that I can take one extra passenger and also visit other worlds in a second, just like Goku's Instant Transmission! Does that sound great or what!" said Mirai Trunks, a little too smugly. 

"Most definitely! Gohan will be thrilled to bits! Wish it was me that was going..." murmured Bulma dreamily. 

Trunks finished his coffee and did a big stretch as he yawned.

"I think you should maybe go for a nap," suggested Bulma.

"Good idea. I'll go sleep for a little while then I'll go over to Gohan's." 

As he went to walk out of the kitchen, he bumped into Vegeta, who had just come out of the gravity room.

"Oh, hi dad," he said. Vegeta just grunted at him and kept on walking. "I see father's still his usual self after all these years," laughed Trunks, as he walked into the living room. Bulma chuckled softly from her place at the kitchen table. Vegeta scowled at her.

"Woman, what are you laughing at? And what's the brat doing back here?" he questioned, pouring out some coffee for himself.

"Oh Vegeta, stop calling him that. It's Gohan's birthday today, remember? And Trunks had come especially to give him a present!"

"Well, Kakarot's brat isn't getting anything from me!" he snorted.

"Vegeta! Is 'brat' your word of the week or something?" she said, trying her best not to giggle. Vegeta just glared at her and headed back to the gravity room.

***********************************************************************

It was about twelve-thirty in the afternoon when Trunks finally surfaced, and he went outside and started up his time machine.

"I'll see you over at Gohan's, mom!" he said. 

"OK, hon!" Bulma replied.

It didn't take Trunks long to reach the Son family home up near Mt.Paos. He jumped out of the time machine and knocked on the door. ChiChi answered and gasped.

"Oh my God! I haven't seen you since the Cell Games!" she shrieked.

"I know, I know. I've just come to give Gohan his birthday present. Sixteen years old- not a little boy anymore, is he?" said Trunks.

"Yes, I suppose that's true. I mean, I have loosened the chains a little bit, so he has more breaks in his studies so he can go play with Goten. He's going to school in two years' time!" (A/N: I thought 'loosened the chains' was a great expression to use, cos I think she really does shackle him to the desk and make him study! Poor guy... .;)

"Goten?" said Trunks confusedly. 

"Oh that's right! You haven't seen Goten. He was born just after the Cell Games!" 

He followed ChiChi into the living room, and a small boy resembling Goku skipped over to see him.

"Hello there! My name's Goten. What's yours?" he chirped happily.

"Oh, hi. My name's Trunks." 

Goten looked at him strangely.

"Hey! You've got the same name as my friend! You also look like him... that's scary!" he said.

Goten went over to ChiChi.

"I'm going to go play outside now, momma!" 

"Okay! Don't go too far. You'll need to be back in time for Gohan's birthday dinner!" she yelled as Goten sped off into the distance.

"Speaking of Gohan, where is the little guy?" asked Trunks.

"I wouldn't have said 'little', if I were you," ChiChi replied. "He's almost the same height as you!"

Just at that very moment, Gohan walked into the living room.

"Hey, mom!" he said.

"Happy sixteenth birthday, son!" she squealed.

Trunks couldn't believe that it was Gohan standing there. He had doubled in height, and his voice had matured. His hair was now short and spiked, with a spiky lock of hair hanging down near his eyes. He had on the same kind of outfit that he wore at the Cell Games, but minus the cape. He had also swapped his little brown shoes for black, red and white boots.

Gohan looked to his mother's side and saw Trunks. He smiled brightly.

"Long time no see, Trunks! We thought we'd never hear from you again! How's things back in your time?"

"Everything's back to normal," he reported. "But enough of that. Come outside and I'll tell you about the present that I've got for you!"

They walked outside and Trunks pointed to the time machine.

"As my birthday present to you, I'm gonna take you on a tour of the planets! How's that sound?"

"Oh wow! That's so cool!" shouted Gohan. "I'll go get ready!"

ChiChi butted in.

"But what about your studies, Gohan? They are the most important things at this moment in time!" she warned.

"It'll be fine!" he said, climbing into the time machine. "I can always catch up on what I've missed."

ChiChi took a deep breath.

"Well, if you insist on going, at least take something that you can study with."

Gohan almost fell out of the time machine. He thought she would have physically hauled him out and refuse to let him go!

"Ok, I'm taking a chemistry book with me, does that sound alright?" he asked, waving the book in the air.

"Sure." She turned to Trunks. "Now I want you to promise me that Gohan will be okay," she said. "I don't want him getting hurt. I don't even want to see his hair out of place. If there is so much as a scratch on him-"

"Alright, alright! He'll be fine!" he promised. _Sheesh, she hasn't changed a bit…_ Trunks got into the time machine and started the engines. 

"Bye, mom!" shouted Gohan.

"Goodbye son!" she shouted back.

The time machine shot off into the air and disappeared in a blue flash.

__

Nothing better happen to my Gohan! Thought ChiChi as she went back into the house to bake Gohan's birthday cake.

~tbc~

What strange and mysterious planet will Gohan get to visit? Will the trip run as smoothly as Trunks promises? Will ChiChi bake her cake to perfection? Find out in the next chapter of "The Rise of Artek"!

I am REALLY going to have to stop sounding like a commentator. I'm no good at it!

Ja Ne! 


	2. The Dangerous Monster, The Helpful Stran...

Chapter 2: The Dangerous Monster, The Helpful Stranger

As the time machine sped across the sky, Trunks and Gohan wondered where they could go.

"I have no idea," said Gohan.

"Well, why don't I punch in some random co-ordinates and see where that takes us?" suggested Trunks.

"Sure! Why not?"

Trunks shut his eyes and pressed random keys on the control panel and then pressed the activate button. The time machine gathered up some more speed and passed through several galaxies in outer space. After a few seconds, the time machine came to rest on a new planet. Gohan squished his nose up against the window, admiring the vast open countryside. It sure was peculiar. The grass was not green but blue, trees were multicolored, and the sky seemed to swirl in many hues of yellow and green. 

"Hey! Have you taken a look at this place?" he questioned Trunks.

"Yeah, it's weird! Don't go outside until I launch the scouter, cos I wanna make sure that the atmosphere is reliable…" He went over to the computer and pressed some nearby buttons. A small machine called a scouter that investigated the surrounding area was released, allowing the computer to produce the planet's details. 

"Ah! Here we go…" he said, as he scanned the screen. "The planet is inhabited, and they breathe oxygen, so that's good. The gravity here is 15 times heavier than that of Earth, but that won't bother us one bit!"

He looked to the seat next to him and noticed that it was empty. He hurried over to the window and saw Gohan already outside, checking out the scenery. 

"You asshole, Gohan! Why the fuck did you go outside when I specifically told you not to?" he screamed through the glass.

"Jesus, quit your whining, Trunks! I'm still alive, aren't I?" Gohan said as he squatted down to stare at the pinkish water of the nearby lake.

Trunks sighed and rested against the control panel, only to hear a sharp click. He turned round to see what he had pressed and his face paled. He had pressed the return button- the button that would send him back to Earth!

__

OH SHIT! yelled Trunks inside his head. He launched himself at the door and yanked it open.

"GOHAN! Get your butt in here NOW!" he shouted.

"Huh?" said Gohan, tearing his eyes away from the small, strange creatures that resembled fish with six legs jumping in and out of the water.

"The time machine's about to leave the planet!" he roared. Gohan ran back as fast as he could, but it was too late. The time machine had already left the ground.

"I'm sorry, Gohan!" shouted Trunks. "I don't know when I'll be able to come back for you! It might take months, so be careful, alright? And don't get yourself killed!"

"What?!? But I don't even know if the people are friendly!" yelled Gohan, but the time machine was long gone. 

Gohan just stood staring at the patch of sky where Trunks disappeared. He couldn't believe that Trunks left him behind!

__

Great. I'm stranded on an alien planet, with nothing but my chemistry book! As if that's gonna help… he thought as he threw his exercise book away. He looked around. _Huh. There isn't so even much as a village close by! But why the fuck am I looking? The people are probably as hostile as Vegeta when I first knew him!_

***********************************************************************

When Trunks made it back to Earth, he was under ChiChi's wrath, when she had finally come over her initial shock.

"Trunks, you jerk! My poor Gohan will be scared being out there all on his own without me being there with him! And here I thought that burning the cake was my only problem! How is my baby ever going to get back home? WAAAAHHHH!!" 

__

God, she still treats him like a baby, even though he's sixteen? Why won't she let the poor guy grow up? Thought Bulma.

"Calm down ChiChi," she reassured. "Trunks did say that he would be able to go back for Gohan sometime soon!"

"THAT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH! WHAT IF GOHAN IS KILLED 'SOMETIME SOON', HUH? MY HUSBAND'S ALREADY GONE, AND I DON'T WANT MY FIRST CHILD TO GO EITHER!!!" she bawled.

"Gohan can take care of himself, ChiChi. You don't need to worry! I'm sure he's fine."

"I suppose you're right Bulma," she said as she blew her nose in her hankie and evened out her temper. "But if anything bad has happened to him, I'm holding you personally responsible!" She said this as she prodded Trunks hard in the chest.

Trunks rolled his eyes. _Why did this have to happen to me…?_

***********************************************************************

Gohan decided to go a walk in the forest nearby, but he lowered his power level to almost zero so that nobody would be able to sense him. He thought he would be safe in doing so, but he was wrong. A creature was watching him from the shadows. Threads of saliva were drooling from its corpulent mouth and its glowing turquoise eyes were viewing his every move. It inched forward and it inadvertently stood on a dry branch, which snapped loudly. Gohan stopped and looked behind him to see what it was that caused the sound, but he saw nothing. He shrugged his shoulders and turned back round, only to be faced with the creature. It had been stalking him, and it was drooling even more now. A pungent stench was emitting from its body, and Gohan had to hold his breath, otherwise he would have been sick. Even if the smell weren't there, he would have been sick at the sight of it.

Now that the creature had come out of the shadows, Gohan could see exactly what it was like. It was a grossly fat being, and if it stood up to it's full height instead of hunching over, which made it even fatter, it would be an entire foot shorter than Gohan. It had blotchy, greasy red skin, and sprouting from its head was oily, wiry black hair. Its teeth and claws were long, yellow and broken, and it was wearing a purple and white tattered garment that seemed to be made from reptile skin. Rolls of fat were hanging out from between the reptile skin and a tight, black strip of ragged cloth that barely covered its flabby legs. A set of small, scaly, bat-like wings protruded from its back, and they flapped restlessly behind the monster. Every time it breathed in, its throat emitted a rasping noise. It was the most grotesque creature he had ever seen, even more than Frieza and Cell put together!

Gohan took on a fighting stance as the beast advanced on him. Its grasping claws were groping the air and it licked it's discolored lips as more shoelaces of saliva dripped down. Gohan fired an energy blast straight at it, hoping that it would be destroyed, but the monster seemed to absorb his energy. He then aimed a punch at its stomach, but it was the biggest mistake he could have done. His arm was trapped in among the folds of putrid flesh, and the weight was crushing it as the creature drew him in closer. Gohan managed to free his now numbed and dislocated arm from the rolls of flesh, which angered the beast. The battle continued on between the two, with Gohan being slightly disadvantaged of only having one working arm. Because of this disadvantage, Gohan ended getting severe injuries inflicted upon him from the monsters' claws. At one point, he had swung a kick at the creature, but he missed and it sunk its jagged teeth into the side of his calf. He let out a scream of pain and tried to shake it off, but his attempts were futile. It eventually let go after he fell to the ground, and it jumped back and waited. 

__

What's it waiting for? Thought Gohan, wincing at the agony coming from his calf.

That was just at that moment he felt a sudden rush of pain coursing through his whole body. The brute had injected potent venom that causes all of its victims' muscles to spasm. The paroxysms tightened Gohan's chest, causing his breathing to become difficult. He shut his eyes- it looked like he was going to die young.

__

Absolute joy. All that bloody studying was for nothing!

As the monster opened it's huge, chunky jaws to devour Gohan, it was suddenly knocked off balance and it crashed into the trees nearby. He sensed the new energy and he opened one eye and searched the area to see what attacked the creature, but nothing could be seen. Suddenly a flash of green light darted past him and it started to pummel the monster.

__

Whatever it is, it sure is fast… and strong… he thought, trying to stay conscious.

The creature had been knocked to the ground, and it struggled to get back up. Gohan noticed that the green light had stopped moving, and in its place was a young girl, about his age. She had long, spiky jade hair, but that was all he could make out before he slipped out of consciousness. The girl destroyed the monster and she walked over to the unconscious and wounded Gohan. 

__

I wonder why this guy was wandering in the Forest of Eternal Shadow? Everyone knows it's dangerous here! Was he deliberately trying to get himself killed? I'd better ask him when he comes to. She lifted Gohan upon her shoulders and flew to her home at the other side of the forest. _But first I'll tend to those wounds of his!_

~tbc~

Typical bloody Gohan. Doesn't think to use his brain while he's fighting. If he transformed during the battle he might not have got in such a mess! But if he did transform, half of the story wouldn't exist and it would be totally pointless! So, who is this enigmatic newcomer? What part will she play in Gohan's life? More importantly, will he survive the potent bite from the creature? Stay tuned to find out more!

Ja Ne!


	3. A Girl Called Neroh

Chapter 3: A Girl Called Neroh 

Five hours had passed when Gohan regained consciousness, and he found himself in a bed in a dark room, only lit by a crackling fire and a few scented candles. His muscles had finally relaxed a little, and he weakly sat up on his elbows and noticed that his wounds had been tended to. He looked around the room and found the girl that fought the monster, and she was sitting in front of the fire, boiling and mixing pulped herbs of some kind in a round bowl. Now that he could see clearly, he could make out what she looked like. She was a slim and muscular girl with large, onyx eyes, and she had a long, furry tail, much like a Saiyan's, but it was jade colored like her hair. Her clothing involved a short black spandex top lined with red, brown gauntlets, tattered purplish-blue training pants held up with a white cloth belt, and chunky brown boots. She heard him stir, and looked up at him. 

"Good. You've awoken," she said. "How you feeling?" 

"A little woozy, I guess…" he said, rubbing his forehead.

"I'm glad I got to you in time, otherwise that Bynkah would have eaten you for sure."

"Bynkah?" asked Gohan.

"The creature that attacked you. Didn't anyone ever tell you not to go into the Forest of Eternal Shadow?" she quizzed, as she strained the now cooled orange mixture into a glass tube, took out a syringe and proceeded to fill it.

"I didn't know," he said, as she came over with the syringe. "Because I'm not from around here. To tell you the truth, I'm not even from this planet. I know it sounds stupid-"

"It doesn't sound stupid," she said, injecting the fluid into his dislocated arm. She removed the needle and sat down in the chair next to the bed. "Just rest while the injection gets to work." After a minute or two, Gohan felt a new burst of energy surge through his whole body. His strength returned, and all his aches and pains were no more. Even his arm seemed to relocate itself with virtually no pain at all. He jumped out of the bed and found that he could stand on his own two feet again. He couldn't believe it! That mixture had roughly the same effect as Senzu Beans! 

"Hey! What was in that stuff?" he questioned.

"Oh, extracts of Kuri berry and Saiku flower root, mixed and filtered in boiling lake water. Kuri berries detoxify the body of Binka venom, preventing the return of muscular spasms. Saiku root restores the person to full health, and it also repairs any broken or dislocated bones."

"Thanks. I'm grateful, Miss… miss…"

"Nerohtyrakoshi." 

"I think I'm gonna have to get you to write that one down!" he laughed. "I'm Gohan. Son Gohan, to be precise." He extended his hand as a greeting. Nerohtyrakoshi shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Gohan. You can call me Neroh, seeing as my name's such a mouthful." A loud rumble filled the room, and Gohan blushed furiously. 

"I take it that you're hungry?" she giggled. 

"Yes, a little… I'm sorry about that…" he said, rubbing the back of his head with one hand and trying to will his blush away.

"Don't worry about it. I was just going to make something to eat anyway!"

Neroh began to prepare a meal for them both, and Gohan stared in wonder at the bizarre looking items of food that she pulled out of her larder. A couple of the fish with the six legs that Gohan saw in the lake, a small basket containing strange fruit and vegetables, and a bottle of electric-blue liquid were laid out in front of the fire. The weird fish were placed in the flames and she chopped up the vegetables, placed them in a pot of the pink lake water and put it over the fire. It wasn't long until the meal was ready, and she put the food on a large stone slab near the fireplace.

"It's chow time, Gohan!" she laughed. 

***********************************************************************

"So… what is this place? What planet am I on?" asked Gohan, as he bit into the leg of one of weird fish again. _Funny how something that resembles a fish tastes more like chicken…_

"This is the Planet Reikagia," she said after she drank some of the blue liquid. 

"I can't get over how colorful the planet is! Earth's pretty plain compared to this place!" he told her. 

"Earth? Is that where you come from?"

"Yes. You heard of it?"

"No."

"Earth is a planet where a race called the humans live."

"And that's what you are- a human?" she asked.

"Well… actually, I'm half-human. The other part is-" he really wasn't sure about telling her, seeing as the Saiyans were once feared across the universe. 

"Go on," said Neroh.

"Saiyan." 

He waited for a horrified response, but instead, she smiled at him.

"Cool. I'm half –Saiyan too."

Gohan almost spewed his mouthful of fish over her. _How is it possible when Frieza wiped out the Saiyan race roughly twelve years ago? _

As if reading his thoughts, she answered his question.

"Frieza may have annihilated the Planet Vegeta, but what he doesn't know is that a few thousand Saiyans managed to be evacuated before it was destroyed." 

Gohan was amazed. When Radditz came to Earth all those years ago, he said that only four Saiyans survived. It made Gohan think. _Radditz wasn't told of the evacuation!_

Neroh continued explaining. "The surviving Saiyans hunted for a new planet to live on, and they found this planet- the Planet Reikagia. Reikagia was already inhabited by the Kagi-jins, but the two races live at peace with one another because they are alike in many ways, although the Kagi-jins are less bloodthirsty. They have kind of… curbed the Saiyans' savagery a little, you might say." 

"So what you're saying is that the Saiyans no longer go to other planets to destroy entire civilisations?" queried Gohan.

"Not since they escaped the wrath of Frieza. It was his idea to use them to exterminate the weaker races of the universe, and put the empty planets up for sale for his customers," she said. "But don't get me wrong. The Saiyans still enjoy the thrill of a good fight, and the Kagi-jins give them just that!" 

__

You learn something new everyday… Vegeta will have a fit when I tell him the Saiyan Race still exists! 

His thoughts were cut short when Neroh talked again.

"The only problem is, Frieza's still out there, and it won't be long until he reaches this planet!"

"That's going to be tough for him," said Gohan smugly. "My dad kicked his scaly ass when I was seven. Frieza's dead and is currently spending the rest of eternity in Hell!" 

"Your dad's a hero, then. I'm sure the remaining Saiyans will want to congratulate him!"

"They won't be able to. He died, a long time ago." Said Gohan. Hurt was heard in his voice.

"I'm ever so sorry, Gohan. I didn't know." Neroh said sympathetically. "But do try to stop grieving. It's in the past. Your father probably wouldn't want you constantly mourning over his death." 

"You're right." A long silence fell between them.

"My parents didn't want me to be like that when they died, although I do still miss them." She sniffed as she blinked back tears.

Gohan looked over to Neroh.

"You're an orphan?" 

"And an exile, all thanks to that bastard Artek."

"Who's Artek?" he questioned. Neroh took on a faraway look.

"He's an evil demi-god that is sealed up under Tak Xenath, the Red Volcano, which is on the dark side of this planet. I was six years old when he captured my parents, who were the protectors of the two races at the time, and he tortured them in front of me and tried to make me decide who died first. Of course, I fought for their freedom, but the only things I came away with were severe wounds and broken bones." She said, her voice almost cracking. "After that, when I was eight, he wreaked havoc on Reikagia, since neither Saiyan or Kagi-jin was able stop him. Seeing as I was the only child with both Saiyan and Kagi-jin blood, which was supposed to make me the most powerful being on Reikagia, the people expected me to destroy Artek once and for all. Unfortunately, he was far stronger, and both races ended up detesting me because I couldn't kill him. They had to rely on a Kagi-jin shaman to seal him in The Flames Beneath instead, and they banished me to live at the edge of the Forest of Eternal Shadow, away from civilisation." Her voice just gave way, and tears welled up in her eyes. She looked away to the side: she didn't want Gohan to see her cry. 

"Artek took the two things that were really dear to me, and I've been training since that very day so I can seek my revenge. But what's the use? He's too powerful! Plus, because he's sealed under Tak Xenath, which is the entrance to The Flames Beneath, there's no way I can get to him unless he somehow manages to free himself. I'll just have to live in this constant agony of everybody hating me until that day comes."

Gohan quit eating his chow and put his hand on one of her shuddering shoulders.

"I don't hate you, Neroh." He assured her, as he rubbed her shoulder gently, to ease her dejection. She blushed lightly and looked up at him. 

"Thanks, Gohan. I'm glad there's at least one person that doesn't abhor me." She said, wiping away her tears. Gohan looked out the window, and he noticed that the sky was darkening.

"I'd better be off then. Thanks for the meal, and your help, Neroh." He said, as he got up off his butt.

"What? Where are you going? You don't have anywhere to stay, have you?" she burst out, sounding almost anxious.

"No, but I'll probably find a cave to stay in or something." said Gohan. "I don't want to trouble you." (A/N: What a hint!!! You couldn't make it any more obvious, Gohan… ^.^)

"You can stay here if you'd like… I'd really enjoy the company, since no one's talked to me from the age of eight onwards…" She said, blushing for a second time. Gohan blushed as well- he's never stayed over at a girl's house before…

~tbc~

Mega blushings all round! #^_^# Will Neroh ever get her revenge on Artek? Well, you'll just have to wait and see…

Ja Ne!


	4. More Secrets, and A New Tail

Chapter 4: More Secrets, and A New Tail 

Neroh managed to talk Gohan into staying over, since she didn't want any more Bynkahs attacking him, plus he was really the only person that had ever befriended her. She let him have her bed and she made herself a bed on the floor next to the fire. It was a peaceful night, but neither of them could get to sleep.

"I've been meaning to ask you something- this planet has a moon, right?" asked Gohan.

"Yes. Two of them, actually. And it's a full moon every two days. Tonight it's the Mossy Moon. Wanna go see it?"

Gohan sat bolt upright. Was she crazy? One look at that moon and it's goodbye Neroh, goodbye Reikagia and goodbye to going home!

Neroh noted the look on his face and laughed.

"Oh, you needn't be anxious about transforming, if that's what's worrying you."

"Huh? How come?" 

"Because Saiyans can't transform in the light of the Mossy Moon. Kagi-jins can though. I've never understood it myself, really."

Gohan let out a deep sigh. _Panic over… _Suddenly another cause for concern arose.

"But what about you, Neroh? I mean, you're half-Saiyan, half Kagi-jin! Won't you transform?"

"Not if I'm wearing my suppressant band!" She said blithely.

"What's a 'suppressant band'?" he quizzed.

"I'll show you."

Neroh got out of her bed and walked over to a small bedside cabinet. She opened the drawer and took out what looked like a two-inch long band of gold, and on its top half was two lime rectangular jewels, held together by a thin removable piece of silver. She clipped this strange contraption onto the base of her tail, and then grabbed Gohan's hand, yanked him out of his bed and pulled him over to the window. 

"Look at the moon Gohan." She said.

Gohan still didn't want to look at the moon. Everywhere he had been there was a full moon, and it just spelt trouble: he had almost trashed Earth and Namek on a couple of occasions, and he wasn't about to do the same here. Even though he trusted her words, it still made him uneasy. He decided to take a quick peek to keep her happy- and when nothing happened, he slowly opened his eyes.

"There! Didn't I tell you? Isn't the moon beautiful?" She grinned, resting her head in her hands, her tail swishing softly behind her.

Gohan looked at the moon closely- it was very green, and yes- it was beautiful.

"You know, this is a novelty for me, being able to look at a full moon without the worry of flattening everything in sight!"

Neroh took her gaze away from the moon and looked straight at Gohan.

"Can't you control your ultimate form at all?" 

"Uh, not exactly…" he said sheepishly.

"Well, you're going to have to learn to, seeing as the Ramana Festival is coming up a month from now. You told me you would be on this planet for some time, so I'm sure you'll be here to take part in it. If you don't mind me asking- where is your tail?" 

"Erm, it kinda got ripped out when I was a kid…" said Gohan slowly.

"Ooo… ouch! Don't you ever miss it?"

"Sometimes…"

"Well then, you'll need your tail to take part in the festival. Follow me, Gohan."

He followed Neroh to a potion cupboard that was hidden behind a sheet of cloth. She picked up a large tub that contained a white paste and sat it down on the table. Gohan looked pointedly at her.

"What are you gonna do, mould me a clay tail?" he asked, a little sarcastically.

__

Idiot…thought Neroh. "No! Just take a handful of that stuff and rub it onto your stump, then you'll see what it does!"

Gohan did as he was told, after Neroh excused herself so he could get some privacy. After a few minutes, he called her back.

"Right, what do I do now?" he questioned.

"Cut a hole in the back of your pants. The tail grows at a considerable speed, so it's best to have a neat hole it can grow out of, rather than bursting out and ripping the back of your pants in the process!" 

"Good point."

He did as she suggested, and sure enough, a lovely golden brown tail immediately emerged from the hole. Gohan admired his new tail- it had been so long ago since he last saw it…

"Thanks. I really appreciate it!" he beamed.

"Hey, don't mention it! Now you've got your tail back, you'll be able to visit Okri-nama City tomorrow. People would have made a joke out of you if you didn't have a tail. It is against the rules of both races to remove your tail unless it was diseased, or you committed a crime and got it cut off as a punishment. Tails must be re-grown again using the Re-gen paste- that's the stuff you used."

"I see. Have you ever had your tail removed, so that you could walk without it?" he asked.

"No. It's not the same for Kagi-jins as it is for Saiyans. The weakness is similar," she answered, flicking her tail from side to side. "But it's far worse for a Kagi-jin. If they ever got their tail cut off, they could never walk or fly again unless they used the Re-gen paste. Unfortunately that was something I had inherited, along with my hair and tail color."

"Oh… what a bummer…" said Gohan.

Neroh unclipped her suppressant band, put it back in the drawer and hopped back into her bed.

"We'd better get some sleep now, if we are going to Okri-nama!" she reminded.

"Right."

Gohan got back into his bed and settled down as best as he could, since now that he had a tail, he was finding it hard to lay on his back. It wasn't long before they eventually got to sleep, and Gohan was having a dream about learning how to control his transformation, the upcoming festival and fighting and defeating Artek for Neroh. After all, he owed it to her, for all the things she'd done for him…

Neroh, on the other hand, was having a nightmare. She dreamt that Artek had risen from the Flames Beneath to seek her out, using his years of stored energy to rip the seal within Tak Xenath apart. She was at his mercy once again, but this time he did not let her go freely, and he destroyed her living body so that she could suffer an eternity of torment in his hands. 

She shivered in her sleep- yet another restless night was made for the young half-breed…

~tbc~ 

Cool! Adult Gohan has a tail again! It's a pity he didn't have his tail when he was an adult from the Babadi saga onwards… he would have looked mental! (Yes, I'm aware that fully-grown Saiyans cannot grow their tails back by themselves- what I mean is that he should have had his tail left on after the moon was blown up by Piccolo. Sure, people would have called him a freak at High School, but they would have to have the guts to say it to his face, wouldn't they?)

Ja Ne!

****


	5. Shaman Azumak

Chapter 5: Shaman Azumak

Gohan was happily snoozing away in the land of nod when suddenly the cocoon of bedsheets covering him was abruptly ripped off. If that wasn't bad enough, the icy draughts that followed gave him a rather rude awakening. (A/N: Get your mind out of the gutter, you lot- Gohan WASN'T in the buff!) 

"Rise and shine, Gohan! We've got a big day ahead of us!" grinned Neroh. 

"What time is it?" he asked, yawning and stretching his muscles, and not even bothering to open his eyes.

"Hmm… judging by the suns, it's about 5am."

"What?!? That's the middle of the night, as far as I'm concerned! Goodnight!" he then curled into a ball and fell asleep again.

Neroh put her hands on her hips and tutted. _God, what a lazy bugger!_ She gave him a quick jab in the side, which caused him to yelp in shock, and he fell out of the bed and landed in a crumpled heap on the other side.

"Alright, alright! I'm getting up!" he muttered from somewhere on the floor. He got up and dusted himself off, and was startled when he saw Neroh. She looked like a Saiyan! Her hair had been dyed black and she was in the process of making her tail brown. Gohan stared questioningly at her.

"What? I have to do this if I'm to get into Okri-nama City without anyone finding out who I really am!" said the half-breed female.

"Are you ashamed of who you are, having to dye your hair?" asked Gohan, getting himself ready and unintentionally sounding rude.

"Gohan, you have NO idea what I would have to put up with…" she muttered as she finished washing the loose dye particles out of her tail and using the energy from her hand to act as a kind of hairdryer. She then grabbed a home-made rucksack, slung it over her shoulder and walked outside, ready to take off. "I've packed something for you to eat on the journey there, seeing as you got up so late!" 

Gohan just scowled at her- he had only known her for two days and she was already being bossy!

__

God, if she turns out to be exactly like my mother, I'll kill myself! It's bad enough that I know one female with a mean temper…

***********************************************************************

Neroh's tune had changed when the city of Okri-nama came into view after the two-and-a-half hours she and Gohan spent flying.

"Ah, it's been so long since I've been here!" said Neroh cheerfully. 

Gohan was surprised at the sight of the city. Okri-nama seemed… pretty basic. He was expecting it to be like the cities back home, with huge skyscrapers, thousands of shops and streets bustling with people. Well, the streets WERE busy, but the place looked more like an overgrown village!

"This… is a 'city'?" he questioned, with a little chuckle heard in his voice. 

Neroh ignored his sardonic comment as they touched down in the square and Gohan saw pure Kagi-jins for the first time. They had jade colored hair, just like Neroh, but they looked completely different from her. Eyes were yellow, and tails were hairless and jade colored. At the end of the tail was a cerulean blue arrowhead-shaped tip. They also had only four digits on each hand instead of five. 

"Ah, so that's why you dye your hair and tail, because you hardly look like a Kagi-jin!" exclaimed Gohan. Neroh almost had a heart attack.

"Shh! Keep your voice down, will ya?" she hissed, her face flushing as she hurried to clamp her hands over his mouth. "Are you trying to get me found out? Kagi-jins have exceptional hearing!" 

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't know! Can you let go of me now? Your suffocating me!" he squeaked as he pried her hands off his face. She had covered his nose as well as his mouth! Neroh cooled down and pulled him away from the square. 

"Just… try not to say anything unless it's important, right?" she muttered. "Oh and another thing- don't say my name at all when you're speaking to me, ok? Everyone on Reikagia knows the name Nerohtyrakoshi, but they'll know what you mean when you even say 'Neroh'!" Gohan nodded slowly. He felt guilty that he almost gave away her true identity. She took him on a tour in Okri-nama until they were standing outside an old and run-down building, at the far edge of the city. 

"This is where you'll get your suppressant band," she said. "Yours will be different to mine because of the different lunar energies that need to be suppressed."

They entered the building, and it was like a witch doctors' hut on the inside, with all the trinkets, herbs, voodoo dolls and suchlike scattered all over the place. Aromatic herbs were being boiled inside a cauldron in the centre and tribal panpipe music was heard coming from the back. They walked to the far end and saw an ancient shaman, muttering incantations while fingering different colored stones on a necklace. Gohan noticed that the shaman looked somewhat strange compared to the other Kagi-jins; his hair had turned silvery, probably through age, and his eyes were odd-colored. One was yellow, and the other red. 

"My, he's a weird looking Kagi-jin, and a very old one at that!" he muttered to Neroh.

"He's the shaman I told you about, the one that sealed Artek in Tak Xenath, remember? His name is Azumak, but everyone just calls him Azu. And give him a break- he IS 2000 years old, after all!" Gohan stared at her in disbelief. 

"You've GOT to be kidding me… how's he so old?"

"He's immortal." Replied Neroh. She smirked as she saw Gohan's jaw drop to the floor. 

"See that?" she said, pointing to the ring on Azu's middle finger that had a strange blue aura surrounding it. "Legends say it is the key to Azu's immortality. No one knows where the ring came from and how he got it- it's a total mystery." 

"Hasn't anyone tried to take it off him, and use it for themselves?" 

"It's impossible to remove that ring. A strong force seems to hold it on. Believe me, I failed miserably when he asked me to take the ring off of him! He and the ring are one- two powers eternally joined. Anyway, enough talking- let's go get your band!"

The two adolescents walked over to where Azumak was chanting. He sensed the two, and he ceased his murmurs and smiled at them with broken and yellowed teeth.

"Welcome, my children," he drawled, beckoning them over. "How may I be of service to you?"

"My friend here needs a suppressant band," said Neroh. 

He squinted at Gohan. "Yes, yes. A Saiyan suppressant band, I presume."

"That's right," she said.

"And in exchange for this band you will give me…?" he asked.

Neroh searched her pockets and her rucksack until finally, she was forced to give up her silver bracelet encrusted with small semiprecious jewels. He held Neroh's bracelet up between thumb and forefinger and inspected it closely through his odd eyes.

"Ah, yes. That will do. Be patient, my children, while I go and get the band." He got up from where he was sitting and shuffled away to a small room where all the suppressant bands were kept. Gohan turned to Neroh.

"Why did you give him that? Don't you have any money?" he whispered.

She cocked her head to one side. "Money? What's _money_?" 

"You… don't… know?"

"Not until you tell me what it is."

A sweatdrop appeared on Gohan's forehead. "Well… uh… money, it… it comes in the form of printed paper and metal disks. Um… people on Earth use it to exchange for goods, like what you did with your bracelet, and-"

"-Why would anyone want to trade their stock for little bits of paper and metal disks? A pretty pointless and crappy way of dealing goods, if you ask me… " Butted in the half Kagi-jin.

"I hadn't finished!" he snapped. Neroh's hands flew to her mouth. Gohan could just about make out the words 'I'm sorry' from underneath them. "Never mind- it looks like you're getting on fine and dandy without money…"

At that point Azumak had returned with the band. Unlike Neroh's, which had a two lime green jewels fixed inside the band, this one had two white jewels. 

"There! One Saiyan suppressant band." He said as he held it out to Gohan.

"Thank you." Said the demi-Saiyan.

Azu looked over to Neroh.

"And what about you, young lady? Are you getting one?"

"No, no, I've got one already," she beamed.

The old shaman stroked his rough, wrinkled chin for a few minutes.

"I can recall the faces of every customer I have served, but I don't remember trading you one, my dearie," he said with a tone that struck fear deep into Neroh's heart. "Unless…!"

Azu stretched his hands out in front of him and muttered a spell in Ancient Kagi-jin tongue. Before Neroh knew what had happened, she was stuck fast where she stood. She couldn't move at all! Azu grabbed hold of her tail, causing her to cry out in pain. 

"What have you done to her?" shouted Gohan. 

"Never you mind, lad; this is between me and Miss."

"Let go of her right now!" Gohan tried to move to save her, but he too had been paralysed. 

Neroh watched in horror as Azu rubbed a small patch of her fur the other way, revealing the jade skin beneath. He smirked broadly, then released the two of the paralysis spell after he had let go of her tail.

"Just as I had thought- young Nerohtyrakoshi."

Neroh looked down at the floor, too ashamed to look Azu in the eye.

"You know that you are not allowed to be here-"

"-I know! I was just showing my friend- my _only_ friend- around, that's all! I thought no one would have recognised me…"

Azumak sighed slowly.

"Well, I won't tell anyone that you were here. To tell you the truth, I thought it was wrong that you got banished to the Forest of Eternal Shadow, but the people of this planet are too stubborn! I too knew how strong Artek was."

"Really? You won't tell anyone I was here?"

"Not a word will be said."

"Oh, thank you Azu, thank you!" beamed Neroh. She looked over to Gohan.

"Let's go home." 

"Wait a minute," called the old shaman. "There's something that you must know." 

"What is it?" queried Neroh.

"I have sensed a terrible energy growing within the bowels of Reikagia. I fear that Artek is going to make his presence known sometime soon."

"But how? Artek can't escape the Flames Beneath unless something happens to you, right?"

"That's true, but it has been eight years since he was sealed away. He will have accumulated enough energy now, and he'll need something to happen that will set him free. I'm afraid I don't know what that something is, so I cannot prevent it. I just hope you have been training for this situation."

"Why should I bloody bother? Everybody knew that Artek kicked my ass the last time! What's gonna stop him from doing it again?"

"Nothing if you keep that attitude! He may be strong, but a true warrior fights with a clear conscience, and a willing heart! If you keep that in mind, you are sure to beat him. I know you will. You'll do this planet proud yet, Nerohtyrakoshi!" 

"Thanks, Azu. We'd best be off, Gohan."

***********************************************************************

As they flew back home, Gohan studied his suppressant band with great enthusiasm. He asked Neroh one or two questions about it, and told her about his battle with Cell when he was a kid and how Azu was right about that 'true warrior' thing, but she was far away and dreaming. She knew that it was going to take more than just blind faith to beat a terrifying power like Artek… 


End file.
